An increasing number of vehicles are being equipped with one or more independent computer and electronic processing systems. Certain of the processing systems are provided for vehicle operation or efficiency. For example, many vehicles are now equipped with computer systems for controlling engine parameters, brake systems, tire pressure and other vehicle operating characteristics. A diagnostic system may also be provided that collects and stores information regarding the performance of the vehicle's engine, transmission, fuel system and other components. The diagnostic system can typically be connected to an external computer to download or monitor the diagnostic information to aid a mechanic during servicing of the vehicle.
Additionally, other processing systems may be provided for vehicle driver or passenger comfort and/or convenience. For example, vehicles commonly include navigation and global positioning systems and services, which provide travel directions and emergency roadside assistance. Vehicles are also provided with multimedia entertainment systems that include sound systems, e.g., satellite radio, broadcast radio, compact disk and MP3 players and video players. Still further, vehicles may include cabin climate control, electronic seat and mirror repositioning and other operator comfort features.
The variety of subsystems in a vehicle can be distracting to drivers who must keep their eyes on the road. Drivers have only short moments to glance at information presented by these subsystems. For example, a driver doesn't have the time while driving to study a detailed map presented by a vehicle navigation system. As a result, the driver can miss important route guidance information. Some conventional navigation systems provide audible navigation guidance. However, audible navigation guidance does not provide the benefits of spatial orientation and the advance routing clues inherent in a two-dimensional map display.